What do you think about 'Days'' decision to kill off Uncle Mickey (John Clarke, the veteran actor, who played him opted to retire a few years ago). Didn't Mickey's legal expertise keep Sami out of jail once or twice?(Laughs) No! Never. I don't think he ever won a case. I mean no disrespect to the actor or the character. I don't know what motivated the writers to do it. I know Suzanne Rogers [Maggie, Mickey's widow] played the hell out of it. She's an amazingly talented actress and reminded everyone why she has that [Daytime] Emmy [for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1979] in her living room.

Do you see your hosting gig on 'Loser' as a way to transition out of daytime?No. I've stayed at 'Days.' I love my job. I really do. I also love reality TV. this is the only job in reality TV that I could have done and stayed in 'Days.'

Sami's missing some important people in her life -- her mom, Marlena (Deidre Hall), Austin (Austin Peck), and, most recently, Lucas (Bryan Dattilo).[Not having Bryan on the show] is heartbreaking to me. I saw some of Austin's work on 'As the World Turns.' I love him. Fans ask me all the time about all these characters. Sami misses her mom!

'Days' has seen an increase in its numbers at a time when other shows on other networks are being canceled for low ratings. Why is 'Days' doing so well?Gary Tomlin [our executive producer]. He's turned the show around. He has helped it come in under budget and made our stories even more compelling. The genre is still valid. Shows like 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Lost' are also soap operas. The audience is still there. If we can compete, we'll stay on the air.